Sunday, August 30, 1-3pm, Ohio Statehouse

Police officers in Kenosha, Wisconsin shot Jacob Blake seven times in the back for no reason, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Since then, an armed right-wing militia member murdered two protesters and injured another.

Join us at a rally in solidarity with protesters, community members, and workers in Kenosha, Wisconsin as we continue the fight for black lives.

We call for:

1. Immediately arrest and charge the police officers and militia member involved in the shooting of Jacob Blake and the murder of two protesters.

2. An injury to one is an injury to all: labor unions should fully mobilize their membership to protest in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and utilize their resources to protect protesters, laying the plans for a one-day general strike.

3. Release all records and bodycam footage to the public, especially those dealing with excessive force.

4. Police violence is part and parcel of the capitalist system, which rests on structural racism and inequality. Defund Columbus Police by at least 50%, tax the rich, and divert those funds towards public education, a green jobs program, and affordable housing.

5. We need a new party. Both Trump and Biden have supported racist policies that have led to mass incarceration. “Shoot them in the leg” Biden has explicitly stated that he does not support defunding the police. In order to fight the far-right violence, we need to build a new party that can organize a powerful movement on the left.

6. The whole system is guilty! Malcolm X said, “You can’t have capitalism without racism.” Capitalism depends on racism to divide the working class, and on a police state to defend the ruling class. In order to abolish the police and have lasting change in the fight against racism, we must struggle against the capitalist system itself.

Please wear a mask and take health and safety into account. If you have any symptoms, please stay home. Thank you!

Hosted by Columbus Socialist Alternative, Black Lives Matter Central Ohio, Student Solidarity at OSU, and Central Ohio Revolutionary Socialists.